Shade-holding socket.



F.. BARR.

' SHADE HOLDING SOCKET. APPLICATION FILED JULY l6, I915.

1,191,058. Patented July 11, I9I6.

er s PA'rn FREDERIC BARR, OF WOODHAVEN, NEW YORK; TI-IE EQUI'IABLE TRUST COMPANY OF NEW YORK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK, EXECUTOR OF SAID FREDERIC BARR, DECEASED.

SHADE-HOLDING SOCKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERIC BARR, a c1t1- zen of the United States, and a resident of Woodhaven, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certaln new and useful Improvements. in v Shade- Holding Sockets, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, whereby any one skilled in the art may make and use the same.

The invention, as indicated by the title, relates to a shade holding socket and primarily relates to electric lamp sockets.

It has long been a practice in the art to provide a socket having a shell with an 1nterior screw thread and terminals for securing in place a lamp with the necessary electrical connections. Such sockets have been in the form of the well-known key type as well as in the form of theipulltype. In any event, shade attachments have been provided which usually consist of a clamped arm member having a rim within which the shade or globe may be secured. Such devices have been of a somewhat unstable character and in them there was no really direct support from the attachment point of the socket to the globe or shade and its supporting means. The presentinvention is designed to overcome objections of such .a shade support and contemplates a single piece structure forming the socket shell and the supporting element for the shade. The advantages of such a structure are hereinafter set forth. a J

The object of the invention is to provide a very simple, though rigid connection from the socket for supporting the shade and the stability and rigidity of the structure is largely due to itssimple form, wherein the several parts are made integral.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of the several parts of the device. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the lower portion of the socket shell, insulator and appurtenant parts.

In the ordinary lamp socket, there is usually a shell-part and a cap-part, two being united and secured by s'ome'v suitable mechanical means. The cap-part of the socket ordinarily is provided with suitable bushings and screw threads by which it may be attached to an outlet of a chandelier or to a suitable suspending connection. .As is well-known in these structures, the switch. mechanism, whether the device be of the key-switch type or the pull-cord type, is arranged wlthin the shell and insulated therefrom as to its mechanical and electrical parts. It has also been an ordinary practice to employ a shade support in conjunction with such a socket, which support ordinarily is clamped about the lower end of the socket against a suitable rib or within a suitable groove to prevent its'longitudinal displacement with reference to the socket shell.

Such devices have ordinarily been of a flimsy character and not infrequently sag under the weight of the sustained globe. Furthermore, they are subject to vibration which transmitted to the substantially heavy globe or shade member is objectionable.

The present invention has to do with fortifying the suspension of the shade or globe against vibration and holding it in regis terlng position with reference to the axis of the socket and its contained lamp. It also has to do with providing a very substantial support for the shade or globe which in turn is directly supported from the principal supporting point of the socket.

In the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 denotes the socket shell having a cap member 2 .secured thereto in any suitable manner. l/Vithin this shell and inclosed by the cap is the switchmechanism which is, of course, of any desiredtype and needs no specific illustration herein. Intermediate the switch mechanism'or its insulating sup- 1 portmg members andthe shell 1', there is an insulating tube 3 which projects slightly below the usual threaded sleeve contact 4; and

' is surrounded at its lower end by a chamber 5 formed in'the lower end of the shell 1.

anism.. The lower rib or depression? cooperates with the upper rib 6'to strengthen the socket shell 1, inasmuch as the annular ribs and depressions give greater strength to the socket shell. The lower rib has a further function; namely that of providing a reduced bearing for the contained switch mechanism and the insulating tube 3, which fits thereabout. The upper rib prevents axial displacement and the lower rib prevents lateral movement. Therefore the lamp contained in the threaded sleeve of the socket is held against vibration. The lower end of the shell 1 is extended as at 8 and has a downwardly depending skirt 9 which serves as a receptacle for the globe or shade --10. As a convenient means of holding the globe or shade in position, retaining screws 11 are employed.

It will be noted that the insulating tube 3 projects downward over the threaded sleeve contact A and preferably is of a length to project into the upper open end of the shade or globe.

In practice, the material for the shell is blanked up and cupped to form the large diameter for the skirt 9 and with proper conformation is then cupped down to form the main part of the shell 1. This provides a single piece structure serving as a closure or container for the switch mechanism, serving purposes of the ordinary shell and also providing an integral supporting member or skirt 9 within which the globe or shade may be held by screws 11 or other fastening dev1ces.

There is an advantage in having the insulating tube 8 project downward about the threaded sleeve 4 and into the neck of the shade or globe. It protects the elements against heat conditions and at the same time serves its primal function of complete electrical insulation.

By having the shell and the shade supporting member cupped and drawn from a single piece of metal, great stability is given to the whole structure. The socket shell itself is strengthened by the additional formation of the shade support and the shade support is given unusual stability by being formed integral with the shell. Furthermore, when the cap is locked tightly tothe shell with its contained filling of insulation and switch parts, there is substantially a rigid connection between the shade, the shade supporting element and the terminal connection of the cap.

l/Vith this construction, all flimsiness of shade holders are obviated. There can be for the globe or shade at its upper end.

With the arrangement of the inverted or depressed beads or ribs there is provided an unusually stiff shell and holder, and the ribs prevent relative movements of the socket parts and shell.

It is believed the advantages of the structure defined will be apparent and whether it is used in conjunction with one form or another of switch mechanism, is entirely immaterial.

Obviously, the exact form and design herein illustrated need not be adhered to and the shell may be embellished either as to its socket portion or as to its shade sus taining member in any desired manner. The main purpose and object of the invention is to provide a single piece integral shade holder and socket shell so formed by impressing annular ribs for sustaining the socket parts and the insulating lining that a structure of great strength, stability and durability will be secured.

Obviously, the exact detail and form may be modified to a considerable extent without departing from the spirit or intent of the invention and it is to be understood that the combined shell and lamp support need not of necessity have the specific arrangement of insulating tubes and threaded sleeve contacts heretofore described.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A socket shell having formed integrally therewith a dependent shade supporting member, said shell having a plurality of annularly depressed ribs, one of said ribs providing a seat for the contained socket parts and a second of said ribs preventing lateral movement of the said socket parts, and means carried by said dependent shade support-member for supporting the shade.

2. A socket shell consisting of a body part, a cap and a lower dependent skirt formed integral with said body-part and provided with screw seats and adjusting screws engaging said seats and adapted to support a lamp shade, and annular ribs impressed in the body-part and extending into the inner periphery thereof, said ribs being spaced apart, one of said ribs forming a seat upon which the socket parts and insulation may rest, the other of said ribs formdisplacement of the socket and appurtenant parts which are contained within the socket shell.

3. A combined socket shell and shade holder formed of a single piece of metal, the shell part having impressed ribs extending into the inner wall of the shell, said ribs being spaced apart, the uppermost rib forming a seat for the socketmechanism and its insulating lining, the lower of said ribs forming a guide and preventing lateral movement of the parts extending below the seat, and a skirt integrally formed with the shell and provided with means for holding a shade.

4. A socket shell having a body-part formed from a single piece of metal and 1 provided with a cap, annular ribs impressed circumferentially in said body-part and forming stlfi'eners therefor, one of said ribs serving as a seat for supporting the socket parts and insulating shell, and a continuous dependent skirt formed at the lower end of the body-part and provided with means for holding a lamp shade.

5. A socket shell having a cap and a main shell portion with a circumferentially and inwardly depressed rib, saidrib serving to strengthen the shell and forming a seat and 10 a guide for retaining an insulating lining and socket mechanism in position, said shell having at its lower end an enlarged dependent skirt formed integral with the shell and provided with means such as screws extending through the skirt for holding a 1 Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

